Huayu: This top star doesn't play by the rules.

After ending the call with her agent, Meng Ziyi's fingers, which were gripping the phone tightly, turned slightly white.

Although she said "I've thought it through" with unwavering conviction, it took almost all of her courage to say it.

The "black-and-red" route was a plan her agent had suggested to her before, but she didn't have the courage at the time and rejected it without even thinking about it. She didn't want to become famous by being criticized.

But the moment she saw Chen Chao's figure disappear today, she suddenly changed her mind.

Chen Chao left far too quickly.

From an unknown nobody to landing the important villain Ouyang Ke in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", to getting the second male lead Yan Xun in "Princess Agents", and now becoming a hit across the internet with his song "Exchange the Rest of My Life".

In just a few short months, he had already reached a height that she could only look up to.

But she didn't want to always be relegated to the sidelines, and she didn't want people to only say, "Oh, that actress from our past film crew," when they mentioned her.

She wanted to grow up quickly, to have her own works and fame, and to one day stand openly beside him, shoulder to shoulder with him, instead of being someone who could only hide in the corner and watch Chen Chao stand in the center of the stage.

.......

"Why are you standing here alone, lost in thought? Did Chen Chao take your heart with him when he left?"

A familiar voice, tinged with a hint of teasing, rang in Meng Ziyi's ears. He subconsciously turned around and saw Li Yitong carrying two cups of milk tea into the pot, a mischievous smile on her face.

Reaching out to take the milk tea from Li Yitong, Meng Ziyi took a big sip, savoring the sweet taste, which improved her mood slightly, but her voice was still a little muffled: "Tongtong, don't talk nonsense."

"You look so absent-minded, are you reluctant to part with him?" Li Yitong smiled and poked her cheek. "If it's really not possible, we can go to Hengdian to visit him after we finish filming. Anyway, there's only about a month left before filming wraps up."

Shaking his head, Meng Ziyi bit his straw and whispered, "Tongtong, I've decided. I'm going to take the controversial route that my manager suggested."

After much deliberation, Meng Ziyi finally decided to confide in her best friend. After all, it was rare to have such a good friend, and she didn't want the two of them to end up like strangers.

The smile on her face vanished instantly. Li Yitong looked at Meng Ziyi with surprise, her voice filled with obvious worry: "Sister Meng, have you thought it through? Although being 'black-red' can quickly make you famous, you have to endure too much criticism. And once you're labeled 'black-red,' it's hard to get rid of it later."

"Yes, I've thought it through." Meng Ziyi raised her head, her eyes filled with an unprecedented determination. "Chen Chao's development speed is too fast. If I don't want to fall too far behind him, this is the only way."

Seeing the determination in his eyes, Li Yitong remained silent for a moment before finally sighing softly and patting his shoulder: "Since you've made up your mind, I support you. But remember, no matter what happens, I'll always be on your side."

"Thank you, Tongtong." Hearing Li Yitong's words, Meng Ziyi's nose tingled, and she immediately threw herself into her arms, her voice choked with sobs, "I was so scared, scared that I would regret taking this path, scared that Chen Chao would not like it."

"Silly girl, Chen Chao likes you so much, how could he not like you?" Li Yitong gently patted her back and comforted her softly, "If he knew that you made this decision for him, he would only feel more sorry for you."

—————————————————————————————

On the other side, when Chen Chao arrived at Hengdian High-speed Railway Station and just walked out of the station with his suitcase, he immediately saw the crew of "Princess Agents" holding up a sign that read "Teacher Chen Chao".

"Hello, Mr. Chen Chao, I'm Xiao Zhou, the production assistant from the 'Princess Agents' crew. Director Wu asked me to come and pick you up." As if they had already seen Chen Chao's appearance beforehand, the staff member introduced himself and warmly took his suitcase as soon as Chen Chao walked in and before he could even say hello.

"The hotel has been arranged for you. It's near the film set, and you'll be staying with the other main actors."

"Thank you for your trouble." Chen Chao smiled and nodded slightly. Having already been notified in advance, he didn't say anything more and got into the car with Xiao Zhou.

After checking into the hotel, Chen Chao first sent WeChat messages to his three friends, Meng Ziyi, Chen Xingxu, and Li Yitong, to let them know he was safe. Then he took out the script of "Princess Agents" and began to read it carefully.

Although he had already read the original novel several times, after receiving the script for Yan Xun, he studied it carefully word by word, making dense annotations next to key plot points, and even wrote a full-page biography of Yan Xun.

However, Chen Chao was still a little nervous about the script reading session that was scheduled for tomorrow, so he decided to keep trying.

......

The next day, at nine o'clock in the morning, the first script reading session of the "Princess Agents" production team officially began.

Although Chen Chao arrived at the conference room ten minutes early, there were already quite a few people inside when he opened the door. The director, Wu Jingyuan, was sitting in the main seat, with the producer, screenwriter, and assistant director sitting around him.

In the actors' seats, Chen Chao immediately spotted Zhao Liying and Lin Gengxin, the male and female leads of the "Princess Agents" drama, sitting at the very front.

Wearing a simple white T-shirt and a high ponytail, Zhao Liying, who looked very capable, was looking down at the script. Lin Gengxin, wearing a black hoodie, was leaning back in his chair, twirling a pen in his hand, while he looked nonchalant.

Upon seeing Chen Chao enter, Wu Jingyuan immediately smiled and waved to him, saying, "Little Chen's here! Come on, have a seat. Hmm, you can sit next to Liying."

After greeting him with a smile, Chen Chao followed Wu Jingyuan's arrangement and sat down in the empty seat next to Zhao Liying.

"Hello, I'm Zhao Liying, the actress who plays Chu Qiao." Zhao Liying, who had already heard some rumors about Chen Chao, took the initiative to extend her hand with a friendly smile as she looked at Chen Chao sitting down next to her.

"Hello, Sister Liying, I'm Chen Chao, playing Yan Xun." Facing Zhao Liying's friendly smile, Chen Chao quickly extended his hand and shook her hand lightly, his tone very humble.

Just then, the conference room door opened again, and a girl in a white dress walked in. She had a face that Chen Chao felt was somewhat familiar with.